In the last 20 years, we’ve seen communication move from land lines to mobile and from mobile to increased usage of internet technology like “Skype”. Communication is becoming increasingly face to face (though not in the physical sense) as video chat and conferencing become ever more mainstream. A business portrait is crucial to attract customers. Before someone picks up the phone to call you (or your company), they’ve probably already checked out your Linkedin* profile (and been frustrated if there’s no photo or a photo that’s so small they can’t tell what you look like), your Facebook page and your company’s various social profiles and website “team” pages. Does the collective information paint an accurate picture of your company or is “cohesive” the last word that comes to mind? Don’t put the cart before the horse… In an increasingly online world, first impressions are all about internet presence and much less about a first phone call. If your representation of “you” is a bikini-clad photo from your last vacation to Puerta Vallarta (and yes, we’ve seen these on Linkedin), or your Facebook photos are public (and let’s just say that some of them shouldn’t be) or your team photos were […] Read More

Whether you call it a location portrait or an environmental or editorial one, it’s a portrait in an appropriate setting. The setting could be a conference room, an office or a cranberry bog (yes, a cranberry bog) but as long as it is appropriate for the publication (annual report or magazine) or website (company or client), then you can be as inventive as you like as long as it is also appropriate to the story and if combined with other portraits, that it is part of a theme. We can do up to four editorial portraits in a day if they’re in the same location, possibly more if they’re not complicated from a technical perspective. If multiple locations are in play, a conversation is in order to determine the most cost-effective plan for your company’s requirements. A few things to consider (much more can be found here): 1) Dimensions of Images: Are the images to have multiple uses in multiple formats? If so, you’ll need to have a plan so that you get both landscape and verticals as well as close-ups and wide-angle shots. 2) Outside or Inside? The less control you have over lighting, the trickier (and more time-consuming) […] Read More

If you are new to using professional photographers, there are a few things to consider before you start your search. Hiring the right photographer is about choosing the right look and feel for the project you need to complete. And hiring a school portrait photographer to do faux-journalistic shots of your office or intimate portraits of your people is usually not the best idea. Nor is hiring a product photographer to shoot architecture. Although many photographers are well-rounded, it’s usually better to use one that has a particular specialty. And if you haven’t thought about insurance, location, scheduling, seasonality, talent or dress-code, we invite you to read our free pdf. Call us if you have questions. Download a free pdf – It’s a quick read. Click below. Call us if you have questions. 🙂 Read More

We’ve spent a long time thinking about the question of why some portraits feel friendlier than others and we think we’ve figured it out… Especially when it comes to friendly business portraits. From a psychological perspective, relationships between strangers take place at a comfort level of about two to eight feet. Intimate relationships between siblings, between mother and child, between good friends and between romantic couples close the gap to a mere 18 inches. Between the two is the everyman’s land of “personal space.” It runs from two to four feet and is used by potential new friends and potential business associates. It is more impersonal in nature so it’s strange that it is called “personal space”. How does this relate to a business portrait? Well, if you are more than six feet away from someone, your angle of vision can comfortably take in a subject’s entire body, head to toe. If your angle of vision is coming from only 18 inches away, then you take in less of the body… To illustrate: In other words, photos, depending on how they’re cropped, can give a false sense of intimacy to a viewer… a feeling that they know the person much better than they actually […] Read More

A make-up artist can make most people’s skin look pretty close to flawless. Why does that matter? Well unless you want to pay for hours of retouching after the fact (shiny skin, blemishes, etc), it’s the way to go. Now you might think that a photographer can bring powder and do the basics but there are a few problems with that line of thinking: Photographers are not make-up artists. Photographers aren’t licensed as make-up artists because they’re not make-up artists. Photographers cannot secure insurance as make-up artists because… see #2. In most states, if a freelancer receives compensation for applying make-up, they need a cosmetology license and can face fines if they don’t have it… And if they don’t have it, they can’t get insurance. Without insurance (general liability, professional and product), in the event their product causes an allergic reaction, the likelihood of recovering any meaningful damages becomes low. And because photographers general insurance(s) doesn’t cover cosmetology – even for something as simple as applying powder – they should just say no, if asked. If you are still thinking you don’t need or don’t want to pay for a make-up artist, consider that the extra cost is minimal in comparison to your people […] Read More

Once upon a time, I shot a ton of infrared film… Actual infrared film. It was awesome. The worst time of day to shoot for all other films (noon) was the best time to shoot for infrared. I loved it. I used both 35mm and 4×5 film and even purchased a panoramic Hasselblad camera that I used exclusively for my midday excursions. My film of choice was Kodak High Speed Infrared which has since been discontinued. It is true that you can take a digital file and achieve a pretty good imitation in Photoshop, but it’s not the same thing as the pure, organic, hard slog and ultimate satisfaction of mastering infrared photography. Sigh. I miss it. If you want to try it, there are a few things to keep in mind: You’ll need a film camera. You’ll need to put tape over any area on the back that can cause a light leak. You’ll need film. You can still get some Rollei IR film at B+H Photo. Buy two filters… No. 87 – Completely opaque (and a complete pain) and a No. 25 Red (much easier to use and still great effects). Shoot something easy to start. A landscape on […] Read More

A photography collaboration combines two different skillsets from two different photographers and is sometimes utilized when you need to get things done on a tight schedule. Dogs by Susan Goddard. Eye glasses shot by the incredibly talented Howard Sokol and added in post-production. And just as important in the process, a photography collaboration can include digital retouching wizards whether staff within a studio, agency employees or independent contractors. Read More

Could not do what I do without the aid of assistants and not all assistants are created equal. They do everything from fetching coffee to setting lights to helping with styling. Their number one job? To keep things moving smoothly so I can concentrate on my subjects. Read More

I’ve worked with Advocacy Denver for years. They advocate for people with disabilities whom are faced with all kinds of physical and mental challenges. Some have moved on to other projects and some still work diligently for the cause: To help those who cannot help themselves. They are all awesome people and I feel privileged to have been part of the project. Read More

About Susan Goddard

Unofficially, I've lived in the USA for 30+ years after narrowly escaping a rainy future in England. I can discuss American politics but not English ones, unless you count the politics of the school playground. I love chess. I've won one lottery (although there was no cash involved, just an elusive Green Card). I play six-degrees-of-separation for fun and find that in Denver, it's usually only two or three degrees (even if it's the President or a Hollywood movie star and sometimes it's one and the same). I have seen one low-flying, UFO in broad daylight. I am completely in love with my dog, Bodhi, who lives up to his name in every way (a being of wisdom and enlightenment). I am bummed (how's that for eloquence) that neither DaVinci or Einstein are still anchored to Terra Firma because I'd love to meet them, sit around a fountain somewhere (hopefully with an Americano in hand) and ask them what their take is on "Life, The Universe and Everything"... (Thank you Douglas Adams.) I love "Game of Thrones", "Homeland" and all things "Shameless". And I love being in the business of photography.